Will JJ Abrams keep on Trekkin'?

So everyone on planet earth and beyond knows JJ Abrams will be directing the next Star Wars movie, but now there is a big elephant in the room. Will he be back for more Star Trek movies?

Of course no one can have an answer to this already, but JJ’s going to have to jump into the Star Wars universe pretty soon, especially considering the first new movie of the franchise is supposed to be ready by 2015.

Still, the question was posed in the L.A. Times, and while there’s no definite answers yet, we of course can speculate to our hearts content. As Rob Moore, the Vice Chairman of Paramount told the Times, Abrams "will still be involved in some capacity with a possible third Trek movie, at the minimum as a producer, if not also directing the film."

Now this of course means that the third Trek film could get delayed a bit, and Abrams has also been involved in another big franchise for Paramount, Mission: Impossible, but Trek is clearly more important. With a four year delay between Trek films, Damon Lindelof, who worked on the new Trek script and also wrote Prometheus, said "there had to be a lifting of the curtain a little bit" and show the fans some footage, or they’d go insane from waiting.

Speaking of Lindelof, one possibility that’s been floated out there is that he, or the screenwriting team of Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, who’ve all worked extensively with Abrams, could be potential directors for the third Trek. Another possible director the Times mentioned could be Matt Reeves, who helmed Cloverfield, and is also stepping in to take over the Planet of the Apes franchise with Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

It’s all too early to tell right now, but first things first. Star Trek Into Darkness hits theaters on on May 17, then Abrams will have to dive in to get Star Wars ready for 2015. As this story was being finalized, the Hollywood Reporter also reported that Abrams officially closed the Star Wars deal.

Kathleen Kennedy, who is now officially head of the Empire, said, "It’s very exciting to have JJ aboard as we set off to make a new Star Wars movie," as he "is the perfect director to helm this. He understands the essence of the Star Wars experience, and will bring that talent to create an unforgettable motion picture."

Whoever will helm the third Trek film, it’s exciting to see that Abrams is now in charge of two of the greatest franchises in sci-fi history, and that the future looks very strong for the genre indeed.